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Originally Posted by ElfBane
Ahhh! The eternal gripe of the foot soldier.."the armor is too heavy", until, of course, it does it's job, then it seems to be just about right!!
Being Navy I never armored up, but we had PLENTY of summertime drills with NBC gear.....remember those wonderfull summers days with NBC gear on, Felix?
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Yes those days were fun!
IBA has been around for several years now, it's in it's third revision. For the sake of the soldiers body, I can understand the weight issue. However, just about everything has been made smaller and lighter, and gear has been removed from the standard patrol uniform. The old LBE or LVE, or if you were privy, the modern quick release pouches have been streamlined. The vest itself holds a 100oz "camel back", all pouches needed (ammo, first aid, storage) the old "pistol belt" has long been gone. The type three "kevlar" helmet is much revised, many don't like it (too small, and lite). Yet an average man will still carry 65lbs once he is in patrol uniform! The larger the person, the more weight, due to the increase size of the vest and plates.
@Ilander, the Army has finally broken the code, "all" recruits now go through a redesigned basic training before they go to their specialized training. Correct, they have all learned the basics of hand to hand, and go ahead and let one body slam you while wearing (x)lbs of Individual Body Armor.